I could write a few pages worth of material on the positives and negatives of drink (although more would be of the latter).

But, that is not the point of my post.

Having constructed a house on Eagle Mountain Lake 5 year ago, I have successfully transferred my life, my job and my hobbies to Tarrant County. Unfortunately, I have still been driving to Dallas for the afterwork social hour on the occasional evening. It was a comfortable little place with a good mix of people of different backgrounds.

I am looking for a good neighborhood bar and/or restaurant preferably in or near downtown Fort Worth. I'm half English, half Irish and half German. I enjoy - no, I deserve a good beer once in a while. Any recommendations?

I could write a few pages worth of material on the positives and negatives of drink (although more would be of the latter).

But, that is not the point of my post.

Having constructed a house on Eagle Mountain Lake 5 year ago, I have successfully transferred my life, my job and my hobbies to Tarrant County. Unfortunately, I have still been driving to Dallas for the afterwork social hour on the occasional evening. It was a comfortable little place with a good mix of people of different backgrounds.

I am looking for a good neighborhood bar and/or restaurant preferably in or near downtown Fort Worth. I'm half English, half Irish and half German... I enjoy, no.... I deserve a good beer once in a while. Any recommendations?

I am looking for a good neighborhood bar and/or restaurant preferably in or near downtown Fort Worth.

you know, that new Finn MacCool's on 8th ave is actually a pretty decent lil' joint.. only a mile from downtown.. they subscribe to the "really loud music makes it seem busy" theory, but otherwise they put it together nicely .. I have no idea what was there beforehand (anyone know?)

as for inside downtown, if I had to choose between Rick O'Sheas vs Paddy Reds vs Flying Saucer vs Pour House .. mm.. Flying Saucer is probably my favorite of the four (sorry, all you anti-chain guys ) We *could* use a few more original neighborhood bar-style places down here .. I just happen to like the Saucer the best because of the building and the selection.. the upstairs was done up very cool..

Lists are great and all, but I'm not just looking for a place that serves beer. I am looking for personal recommendations for a place where I can get a bite to eat, something to drink and a good conversation.

I suppose I have been spoiled these past few years to have found such a great place in Dallas. I didn't have to leave my credit card with the bartender to run a tab. When I stepped in people would shout my name in unison. The regulars often get together for concerts, state fairs and other events outside of the pub. The bar was in the vicinity of a lot of new growth, so there were a lot of younger, up and coming professionals who would stop in. Not too far from the university, so a fair share of good looking women would come through.

Yes Virginia, there is a Cheers.

But things change. One of the regulars/former bartender died last Friday quite unexpectedly and the pub will be relocating soon due to development in the neighborhood. I've been telling myself for quite some time that I need to find a place to go to in Fort Worth since I am otherwise not in Dallas anymore.

I suppose when I get older or married I will leave it all behind, but for now I am comfortable spending an occasional evening in a pub.

Flying Saucer seemed a little too touristy. But maybe I should make a list of your recommendations and do a little field research.

i haven't tried that many bars in/near downtown; however, i am a fan of the saucer. we used to go to the one on greenville (now closed, i believe) in dallas when we worked in cityplace. now that we're in westlake, we'll occasionally make the trip to the one downtown. good selection. they do carry guinness & murphy's stouts; no beamish, though. :( our irish lasses Aisling, Gillian, & Máire said the cider was decent, if any of yer mates are into that. they do carry Fort Worth's own Rahr as well. all in all, a couple hundred beers. good atmosphere. and for the Deutsche in ya, i believe they have sausage-based eats.

i also like j&j's on woodward, but that may not be the atmosphere you're looking for and i don't think it opens til about 8:30.

i like the pour house, too. are they still there? what ever came of the building owner's plans? i've been out-of-touch.

I suppose I have been spoiled these past few years to have found such a great place in Dallas. I didn't have to leave my credit card with the bartender to run a tab. When I stepped in people would shout my name in unison. The regulars often get together for concerts, state fairs and other events outside of the pub. The bar was in the vicinity of a lot of new growth, so there were a lot of younger, up and coming professionals who would stop in. Not too far from the university, so a fair share of good looking women would come through.

Yes Virginia, there is a Cheers.

okay, now i get it. back at USC (that is, the university of south cooper - now i think they call it u of t @ a) we would call such a place bentley's. same atmosphere. same friendliness. same have me drink waitin' before i got to the table. hopped on a plane to philly to be at one of the waitress' weddings. ah, how i miss it sometimes.

i'll have to research this one. the saucer: maybe; maybe not. the one on greenville was a bit like that to those on my team that went frequently. haven't been to the dtfw one enough to know if it could ever be like that.

i haven't tried that if any of yer mates are into that. they do carry Fort Worth's own Rahr as well.

I tried the Rahr's Ugly Pug the other day at the DTFW Flying Saucer. Very nice. I wasn't going to stop drinking Shiner in exchange for Rahr's other two products, but I could become a regular with the Ugly Pug.

As for the Dallas mates, I suppose I am moving on alone. That's one of the reasons I am looking for a place with a decent atmosphere/people. Oh, sure I'll still drive over to Dallas from time to time to see everyone.

There's Tennants on my mom's side of the family, although I don't know if there's any connection to the beer.

Decent atmosphere and conversations, try Rick O'Sheas. You can always find a Darts opponent there. Great prices and $1 Happy Hours on Thurs. It gets real lively in the late hours past 10pm Wed.-Sat. I used to live above the place, the bartenders are nice and will take care of you, unlike FSaucer you can keep a tab open for weeks. Just honor the code there, and they will honor you. Tell JR and Danny high for me. BTW a lady makes beef tacos in the backroom there for about $2, and Perottis Pizza always delivers there.

-TWU law school keep the place interesting at night
-Del Frisco crowd will always appreciate a drink from a friend. And when you dine at there place, they will remember.

Haven't done much drinkin in FW in the last year or so, but some of my favs, not including the one's already mentioned are:
Sal Louies: it's next to Sardines and on University has great atmosphere and serves food. The only problem is the annoying piano player who shows up from time to time.
Shamrock: McIntire's place on W 7th.
Pop's Safari: This is a strange little place among the warehouses south of W 7th. Can't remember the name of the street it's on. Very unique. Cigars, small but good beer selection, HUGE wine selection, and food.
I've also found that as long as you keep drinking, plenty of restaurants don't mind if you sit there for hours without ordering anything but appetizers. Restaurants have the advantage of not being crowded, smokey, and loud, but do unfortunately close a bit early.

Have to say something about Flying Saucer. Overall, it's a good place, but:
1. The bathrooms are awful.
2. They sometimes don't clean their glasses well (It's not the kegs or the lines--I've tested this by ordering bottled beer, drinking it out of glass and still getting that soapy taste). How anal am I?
3. They make you pay a cover even if you're going to stay inside where you can't hear the crappy band.
4. They got rid of the only thing on the menu I could eat.

You might enjoy Ye Olde Bull & Bush. Its not downtown, but not far; in the arts district on Montgomery between I30 & Camp Bowie (2300 Montgomery). Its popular with (and seems to cater to) British ex-pats.

you know, that new Finn MacCool's on 8th ave is actually a pretty decent lil' joint.. only a mile from downtown.. they subscribe to the "really loud music makes it seem busy" theory, but otherwise they put it together nicely .. I have no idea what was there beforehand (anyone know?)

Lobs, it was just vacant retail space. For a while there was a used car lot in the parking lot to the rear and for some reason, I think they had their offices inside the bar's space. Before that there were just local shops in that strip, but I do think that it was vacant for a few years.

I just happen to like the Saucer the best because of the building and the selection.. the upstairs was done up very cool..

So you like the upper floor of the Flying Saucer? The upstairs was one of my contributions to downtown as an architect. I will take that as a compliment.

I just happen to like the Saucer the best because of the building and the selection.. the upstairs was done up very cool..

So you like the upper floor of the Flying Saucer? The upstairs was one of my contributions to downtown as an architect. I will take that as a compliment.

Oh John it's absolutely one of my favorite places to hang.. it's a very cozy and welcoming room, with almost a separate-from-the-rest-of-the-place VIP feel to it.. You had a hand in that aye? Who's idea was it to adorn the wall surrounding the bar with dominos and Ike dollars? That's really an ingenious touch..

What’s the general opinion of The Library? I’ve stopped in there a couple of times, hit and miss crowd wise; think that has to do with what ever drink special is running.

feh.. it's chock full of guys named Lance and girls named Kristie...100s of baseball hat-wearin guys that go "Woooo!" every fifteen seconds.. too loud inside, and it's laid out pretty uncomfortably.. I'll never understand why that place has a line out the door on weekends.. i'd rather hit up fox+hound if i had a choice.. they did a great job on the interior, it's just enormous, and they have pretty decent food til 130am.. rare (!) (black forest sandwich = excellent)

What’s the general opinion of The Library? I’ve stopped in there a couple of times, hit and miss crowd wise; think that has to do with what ever drink special is running.

feh.. it's chock full of guys named Lance and girls named Kristie...100s of baseball hat-wearin guys that go "Woooo!" every fifteen seconds.. too loud inside, and it's laid out pretty uncomfortably.. I'll never understand why that place has a line out the door on weekends.. i'd rather hit up fox+hound if i had a choice.. they did a great job on the interior, it's just enormous, and they have pretty decent food til 130am.. rare (!) (black forest sandwich = excellent)

Actually the babes on Thurs. night head on over to Jack's Pub. The Library crowd is usually too much and mostly male. It gets a wrap line because of the $1 beer specials and that it is an Austin bar, along with it's upstairs neighbor, Pete's, not worth seeing either. As for the FNHound, if you order your meal by 11pm, then yes you will get it at around 1:30am. Nice interior especially when the bats intrude. I can't stand that they have one TV set on audio for the entire place. Tommy "Gun" at the front door is cool to chill with and drop mad hip hop rhymes with. Empris!We should get a Cuba Libres bar here or a Hooters.

I just happen to like the Saucer the best because of the building and the selection.. the upstairs was done up very cool..

So you like the upper floor of the Flying Saucer? The upstairs was one of my contributions to downtown as an architect. I will take that as a compliment.

Oh John it's absolutely one of my favorite places to hang.. it's a very cozy and welcoming room, with almost a separate-from-the-rest-of-the-place VIP feel to it.. You had a hand in that aye? Who's idea was it to adorn the wall surrounding the bar with dominos and Ike dollars? That's really an ingenious touch..

The Saucer's menu is WEAK though,. Can you fix that up John? Love the upstairs patio and views. Who owns that block of land where ths FSaucer is and the parking lot between them and the 8.0 corner?

Like the Library, Flying S, Red Goose and even Jack's Pub (FW)... What's up with Vivid? Did they ever get the liquor license back or have they gone under?

Never been... read something about it in FW Weekly; didn't sound like my kind of hang out.

They lost their liquor license. Mismanaged. HIGH rent! Owner(s) "partied" a bit too much. TOO small to sustain a big crowd feel. They are open "after hours" now with BYOB. They sell tea and coffee, I believe. Cover charge, much like in Library on busy nights.

Just got word that Katie Holmes is dating Tom Cruise now. OF ALL PEOPLE. there goes my chances of her ever visiting FW. :ph34r: she was engaged to Klein (American Pie). He supposedly went to TCU. I thought one day she would check out his old stomping grounds. No such luck.

Just got word that Katie Holmes is dating Tom Cruise now. OF ALL PEOPLE. there goes my chances of her ever visiting FW. :ph34r: she was engaged to Klein (American Pie). He supposedly went to TCU. I thought one day she would check out his old stomping grounds. No such luck.

Don't give up on Katie. Can you say publicity stunt? They both have new movies coming out. And speaking of out... Cruise is gay.

The Saucer's menu is WEAK though,. Can you fix that up John? Love the upstairs patio and views. Who owns that block of land where ths FSaucer is and the parking lot between them and the 8.0 corner? <_<

1) menu: i doubt John can help. go rap with your buddy Shannon Wynne or his partners at 8.0 Management.

2) the saucer's property is owned by 8.0 Mgmt or Sundance West - not sure which.

3) parking lot btw saucer and 8.0: ah, there's a contentious story. a star-telegram article about that can be found in the first post in fw forum topic #146.

Just got word that Katie Holmes is dating Tom Cruise now. OF ALL PEOPLE. there goes my chances of her ever visiting FW. :ph34r: she was engaged to Klein (American Pie). He supposedly went to TCU. I thought one day she would check out his old stomping grounds. No such luck.

Don't give up on Katie. Can you say publicity stunt? They both have new movies coming out. And speaking of out... Cruise is gay.

Thanks man, I needed that. Breathing is a lot better now. Gotta go play some AIR SUPPLY GHits.

Oh John it's absolutely one of my favorite places to hang.. it's a very cozy and welcoming room, with almost a separate-from-the-rest-of-the-place VIP feel to it.. You had a hand in that aye? Who's idea was it to adorn the wall surrounding the bar with dominos and Ike dollars? That's really an ingenious touch..

Yes, I had a hand in doing that room. Shannon Wynne did the wall around the bar.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough pull with them to influence the menu.

Sundance Square, or in this case Sundance West owns the Flying Saucer Building (Land Title Block). The remainder of the Commerce Street footage is owned by the Bowen Estate. As Donnie suggested, see Topic #146.

What’s the general opinion of The Library? I’ve stopped in there a couple of times, hit and miss crowd wise; think that has to do with what ever drink special is running.

feh.. it's chock full of guys named Lance and girls named Kristie...100s of baseball hat-wearin guys that go "Woooo!" every fifteen seconds.. too loud inside, and it's laid out pretty uncomfortably.. I'll never understand why that place has a line out the door on weekends.. i'd rather hit up fox+hound if i had a choice.. they did a great job on the interior, it's just enormous, and they have pretty decent food til 130am.. rare (!) (black forest sandwich = excellent)

Actually the babes on Thurs. night head on over to Jack's Pub. The Library crowd is usually too much and mostly male. It gets a wrap line because of the $1 beer specials and that it is an Austin bar, along with it's upstairs neighbor, Pete's, not worth seeing either. As for the FNHound, if you order your meal by 11pm, then yes you will get it at around 1:30am. Nice interior especially when the bats intrude. I can't stand that they have one TV set on audio for the entire place. Tommy "Gun" at the front door is cool to chill with and drop mad hip hop rhymes with. Empris!We should get a Cuba Libres bar here or a Hooters.

Now you’re talking!

A downtown Hooters would really rake it in; but they seem to prefer locations right off major highway exit ramps.

I am not a fan of the Library. If you are a current frat boy or a recently graduated frat boy or a frat boy poser, you will like this place. Otherwise, it may just drive you crazy.

Personally, I hate Hooters. At the risk of sounding like a snob, I want a Downtown that is better than that. Let Hooters have the off ramps.

Snob. The babes have to make their dollars and be productive citizens somehow someway. I'm all for a downtown Hooters, even if it is a chain. There is one in Santa Monica, not near an off-ramp that does fine and adds a little spice to the area, if you know what I mean. It would work great for what DTFW has to offer now. Can you imagine the promo buzz that would occur at a downtown Hooters year round, FANTASTIC! Since DTdallas does not serve one, let's be the first. I've heard from the attorney that owns property from Main to Houston on 2nd was in talks with one some years ago. He wants crazy dollars for rent on his abandoned Chinese BUFF Place, and his eyresore of a runned down cowboy outfitters shop. Stinks to high heaven, but he will not negotiate. He want s someone to fix it up and pay the rent on it. That's a min. $200K job, plus $20/sqft rent immediately. GOOOOD NIGHT!

I agree with Sam. I also dislike Hooters. Don't get me wrong, I love the girls, but I also want a downtown that is better than that. I do believe there are places where Hooters can be located and will do a good business.

Safly, the property in question is on 1st between Main and Houston. Those buildings are coming down on May 16th or 17th. A parking lot will be replacing the Lawyer's Building and the Engler's Building.

I agree with Sam. I also dislike Hooters. Don't get me wrong, I love the girls, but I also want a downtown that is better than that. I do believe there are places where Hooters can be located and will do a good business.

Safly, the property in question is on 1st between Main and Houston. Those buildings are coming down on May 16th or 17th. A parking lot will be replacing the Lawyer's Building and the Engler's Building.

what aboot (As the Canadians say) the building where the Chinese food place was? Good location for a restaurant of a different kind. Or maybe not.JTR: How about a place in DTFW were lovely scantilly clad senoritas dowse away your inhibitions with smooth satisfying tequila shots, like at Cabo Wabo's in Cabo San Lucas (A Sammy H joint). I think that would be an exciting place, plus DTFW will finally have some great tasting/ easy on the wallet MEXICAN food and varieties of Tequila for tasting or getting flooored! Let's bring back them good ole partyin days of FW that I keep hearin about.

Plus, a free bat flight show some nights. (watch out for poop, it may be great in the garden, but its nasty on nachos).

-b

Did that REALLY HAPPEN? You can't be serious. If you are fibbin, it may be held as as slander. You could get us and yourself in VERY big trouble. Those poor people at FNHound can seriously loose $$$$ with comments like these.

I'm sure lots of buildings downtown have bats in them that manage to make it to the same areas as people every once in a while.

-b

I'd rather hit up fox+hound if i had a choice..

Plus, a free bat flight show some nights. (watch out for poop, it may be great in the garden, but its nasty on nachos).

-b

Did that REALLY HAPPEN? You can't be serious. If you are fibbin, it may be held as as slander. You could get us and yourself in VERY big trouble. Those poor people at FNHound can seriously loose $$$$ with comments like these.

I'm hopping in here too, simply because I've yet to find a place that suits my needs as well.

When I lived in Dallas, I frequented the Gingerman and a couple other places.

The best I can find is the Saucer, and yeah, it is fairly touristy.

ok, back on track, suggestions?

-b

Good to meet you at the rally. Heck, we might have even bumped elbows at Gingerman's too.

I think I am at the point where I am ready to start doing field research. Probably this Friday barring any unusual circumstances. I've got a list of places from the posts above and I will just start checking down the list.

Worst comes to worse, maybe Safly will put a comfortable stool or two near the bar at the new place (assuming Safly is working on something from other posts(Excúseme, pero mi español no es tan bueno))

I'm hopping in here too, simply because I've yet to find a place that suits my needs as well.

When I lived in Dallas, I frequented the Gingerman and a couple other places.

The best I can find is the Saucer, and yeah, it is fairly touristy.

ok, back on track, suggestions?

-b

Good to meet you at the rally. Heck, we might have even bumped elbows at Gingerman's too.

I think I am at the point where I am ready to start doing field research. Probably this Friday barring any unusual circumstances. I've got a list of places from the posts above and I will just start checking down the list.

Worst comes to worse, maybe Safly will put a comfortable stool or two near the bar at the new place (assuming Safly is working on something from other posts(Excúseme, pero mi español no es tan bueno))

Alright, all Forumers get VIP. I give in.

The Gingerman is a nice pubbish place, great outdoor patio to sit, drink, and smoke one. RJ's in Dallas is way cool too, the girls there aren't much to watch, but a few are. Sorry, if that sounds a bit brutish.

FYI: some folks at Rick O'Sheas have been doing a pub crawl for the last 3 years or so, it seems a bit exciting and adventerous to do. I have yet to place myself in one, but I know the people who run it are great to drink with. Ask for Tom, JR, or Danny in order to get on in. In Dallas, I hear that the Oaklawn bar scene does one too, great for the one bar owner who owns about 4 of them. He puts a pubcrawl special for every hour in each one. I hear it's a madhouse during the events.

RAIL HEAD BBQ. Cold beer, although nothing exotic really... GREAT BBQ!!! And it's a very popular place for local west-siders.... Once you establish your own identity there... you don't need a charge card - you can just put stuff "on account" if you become a regular. I'm not one of the regulars anymore, but my brother is and they're all like family there.... It's a fun place too...

Cool building and nice adaptive reuse of the old Kress Co. building. The place was clean, nice layout and plenty of tv screens for sports viewing. The menu was extensive and there was a good amount of patrons there, most watching the Rangers game. BUT.... very large, with separate sections and even an upstairs area. I enjoyed the music videos playing classic 80s hits (reminded me of the days when MTV actually played music videos), but it was all a little too noisy and too busy for not that many people being there. Overall, not a bad place, but not my new place unless I find nothing else.

Paddy Red's

An exact opposite, in some respects to Fox & Hound. A very small bar with no food. A very well done Irish pub, this place looked cool. Neat, clean and well appointed, but probably no wider than my office. Enjoyed the beer, but I need a place with tables and chairs so if you meeting up with a group, you aren't limited to talking to the two people sitting next to you at the bar.

Rick O'Sheas

Wow. For all of the honorable mentions this place got, I was a little disappointed. This place was a little worn around the edges and reminded me of someplace where Korean War vets would sit around drinking Schlitz or Pearl Beer. I can see the attraction for the pool table, and I can imagine it would be an ok place to get together with friends, but this place is a little too grungy and I would probably get tired of the taco-only menu after awhile.

JJ's Hideaway

Cool little place on West 7th Street. Looks like the building was designed by Mike Brady, but hey, it works for a nice little neighborhood bar. The people in there all looked like they new each other and were very friendly. This place was recommended to me by the bartender at Fox & Hound. I like it, except that it is small, pretty far away from my office and downtown Fort Worth, and apparently no food on the menu. I could see going back occasionally, but probably not as a regular.

So there's good news and bad news. I didn't find the perfect place, but I get to go do more field research this next Friday! Your suggestions are still appreciated.

If I'm buying a beer at each stop, I can't review more than a handful of places at a time. I try to be responsible in my consumption. I usually do not drink on an empty stomach, I limit myself to an appropriate number of servings, and I usually sit around for a few hours without consuming before I go home.

Should the FWAForum start up a bail bond/cabbie fund in your name Andy? haha

Thanks for all the HARD work. Pic's would be nice, and I don't mean send a link to some jaloppied up downtownfortworth site.

I know you were not initially impressed by RIck O'Sheas (Ricochezzz, pronounced just before closing time). But, like it did for me, will soon grow on you. You can always order Perotti's there, and get it hot and fast. try it on Thursday, HAPPY HOURSSSS.